The present invention relates generally to high speed connectors, and more particularly to high speed mezzanine, or board-to-board connectors.
The electronics industry keeps improving the speed and efficiency of its devices not only in size but in speed of operation. In addition, increased emphasis is being placed on reducing the cost of components in the electronics industry, including the cost of connectors. In order to facilitate the manufacture of these devices, connectors are required that operate at high speeds. Typical construction of high speed connectors involves the use of individual metal shields that may be mounted along one or both sides of a connector. Signal terminals are usually mounted inside the connector housing and spaced from the shield. This construction involves the forming and mounting of a separate shield, which adds to the cost of the connector. The use of external shields also may increase the size of the connector, thus defeating the aim of reducing the size of the connector. The use of external shields also requires that the two housings overlap and thus increases the overall size of the connector structure. A need therefore exists for a low cost connector having a structure suitable for high speed use and which may be used in board-to-board applications.
The present invention is directed to a high-speed connector that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages.